Draco's Feathery Problem
by alicebrandycullen
Summary: Post War fic. Draco was on the side of the Light, and no longer does he believe in blood prejudice. He is a Veela,but his mate, Hermione Granger refuses to accept her fate... Eighth has never been more interesting. (Snape is alive)
1. Chapter 1

DRACO's FEATHERY PROBLEM

The Malfoy Manor was nestled in the Whiltshire imposing structure with its beautiful white peacocks was ostentatious, proclaiming the pride and arrogance of its owners. Within the Manor, in its East Wing, its newly proclaimed owner, a young seventeen year old boy lay on his bed, shouting in pain, his voice almost hoarse, clutching the emerald green silk sheets, pale and sweaty. His grey eyes looked almost panicky as he looked around the room, moaning in pain. His eyes seemed unseeing not noticing his godfather Severus Snape, his mother Narcissa Malfoy or the Healer who was exclaiming in delight, (the only happy person in the scenario) seeing a Veela transformation.

Draco Malfoy 's platinum blonde hair which lay in a fringe above his eyes ( sticking to his sweaty forehead) had grown longer, his pointy structured face became more blunt, making his masculine features more evident, his eyelashes grew longer, his legs and arms became stronger and structured -lean and muscular... his nails developed into talons and his back stretched upwards to accomodate his silvery, large feathery wings, and his fangs, only slightly longer than his canines, sank into his bottom lip.

Twelve hours of torture, and Draconis Lucius Malfoy had transformed into a Veela.

The Veela in question, sniffed the air and moaned in pain, an emotional pain that had crept into his heart, leaving him feeling empty.

"Amazing ! ", said the wide eyed young Healer, only there for the purpose of seeing the legitimacy of a Veela, and registering him in the Veela records of the Ministry.

"He is already searching for his mate." said Snape.

" How will he spot her Severus?" said Narcissa.

" Five signs. He will need to know, once the Veela retreats within. First Sign, he will have a dream that will vaguely show the place, where he will be sure to find her. Second, he will smell a scent that will call to him, so wonderful, that he will not forget it. A scent that will calm and yet excite him. A scent above all else - of all his favourite things in the world. Third, when he touches her, he will know. He will feel complete, like everything will be perfect. A jolt of electricity when any part of him touches her initially. Fourth, he will not stand to see her around other men, until he has claimed. he will feel exraordinarily possessive. Lastly, if she touches another man intimately, before he claims her, he will know just by smelling her after his tranformation. Not a pretty sight, he will become jealous. Insanely, in Draco's case, since he is a naturally jealous man. If she is pure, he will smell that too."

"O dear!", said Narcissa. She could easily imagine it. Her son would go on a rampage if he smelt another on _his_mate.

O dear, indeed !


	2. Chapter 2

Draco Malfoy, was finally asleep. His mother had retreated to her bedchambers, pleased that Draco was no longer in pain.

She saw the fireplace slightly illuminated, and realized they would soon have a guest through the floo network. A face appeared on the logs in the fireplace.

It was Harry Potter. The Boy- Who –Lived had come to pay a little visit. "Mrs. Malfoy, how is he? I heard he was in pain."

Typical bleeding heart Gryffindor, that he was, he had accepted Draco's apology, and the blonde had repaid him in kind, informing him about the Death Eater hideouts, refusing to have his name published in the Daily Prophet.

Harry Potter was a man of his word.

"He is alright, Mr. Potter, thank you for contacting the Healer, and for keeping the press away for all these months.

"No problem, Mrs. Malfoy." He bid her goodbye and disappeared. Meanwhile, Draco was in a limbo.

In his mind, he saw a blue lake, its pristine clear water, strangely familiar. He saw the tentacles of a giant squid emerging from the water, he saw the familiar dark forest, the outline of a castle, a tower with the view of the grounds below. He saw a hall, with an enchanted ceiling. He saw Hogwarts, where he would soon meet the girl his soul craved. In his dream, he smelt the delicious scent of vanilla, strawberries, honey, almonds and fresh parchment. The shock of actually smelling something in his dream, woke him up.

He looked around, shocked to see that his perspiring had drenched the sheets. He rubbed his face, and quickly filled the dots.

Draco was not merely a Slytherin student; he was the epitome of a Slytherin – sly, cunning, ambitious and resourceful, only second to the Gryffindor Golden girl in terms of intelligence.

He had known that he was not a mere pureblood. He knew he was different, and better. His weeklong research in the Hogwarts library had paid off.

A **Veela** was a truly rare creature – only one in a million. When Draco had found out how rare it was, his chest had swollen with pride. _Take that Granger__** !**_

Apparently, a quirk in the magical blood caused a Veela- there was no true explanation.

They were the only wizards guaranteed to have a true soul mate, an ideal partner, for the rest of their lives.

Nature and magic even collaborated, to give these wizards, the necessary mechanisms to search for and identify The One, and to protect The One. A side effect was the extreme jealousy and possessiveness. There was also a big draw, a Veela would have to ask permission, and if the permission was denied, they would die a truly painful death.


	3. Chapter 3

**So, I hope you like it so far. I'll always welcome constructive criticism. No Ron bashing, (he is one of my favourite characters)but there may be a competitor for Draco. Watch out!**

Hermione Granger was reading _Hogwarts: A history _for the umpteenth time. She was sitting on her four- poster bed, her legs splayed out, as she concentrated on each and every line.

Her once- frizzy hair was now considerably tamed, hanging in the form of loose ringlets, down to her waist. Her smooth pale skin had developed a tan over the past year. Her face was dotted with tiny freckles, and was forever free of make up, making her natural beauty more evident. Her wide chocolate eyes, with a fringe of long eyelashes, and her heart shaped face with Cupid's bow lips, unknowingly, made her the envy of the witches in Hogwarts.

As if being the Brightest Witch of her generation wasn't enough!

But young Hermione was unaware of her beauty. She considered herself ordinarily pretty, unaware of the glances and wolf-whistles that she received.

Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, apparated into their best friend's bedroom, apparently without reservation.

"Harry", she ran up to the Boy- Who –Lived, the man she considered her brother, embracing him with a wide smile.

"Oi, What about me?", said Ron, highly affronted.

"Ron", she embraced him just as tightly.

Soon after their kiss, Ron and Hermione had both thought that it felt incestuous, and had agreed to remain friends, making everything much less complicated.

Harry had been fine with it, but Ginny and Molly Weasley had not hidden their temporary disappointment.

"So …. what now? You look like you have something to say ….", began Hermione.

"Yes, right, you know us better than anyone.", said Ron. He took out a chocolate frog, and popped it into his mouth. Harry chuckled, his green eyes twinkling.

"So…"

"Yes, well Hermione, I …", Harry began

"You got into the Auror department.", she finished with her know-it all voice.

"I got into the…. Wait! How did you know?", said Harry, confused.

"What else could possibly have you so excited?", she said, rolling her eyes, good-naturedly.

Harry smiled brightly at her.

"I'm working at George's shop, thanks for asking.", grumbled Ron, scowling as his ears turned red.

"Oh, stop moaning Ronald. Ginny told me."

"You're going back to Hogwarts.", said Ron.

The silence hung heavily in the air, as they looked at each other.

For the first time, the Trio realized, that their paths lead elsewhere. No longer would there be a rush to complete the homework, or sneaking out past curfew, or their moments in front of the Gryffindor fire-pace, or Quidditch tryouts, or the feasts in the Great Hall, or visits to Hagrid…

"At least everything is the way its supposed to be.", said Harry. His bleak expression convinced nobody. They knew he was thinking of Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Colin…

The two boys left after awhile, leaving Hermione to her thoughts and tears.

It was so hard for her to keep a straight face, even though every cell in her body, wanted to just run away, or give up – succumb to the tears, the grief. The hole in her heart reminded her- everything around her reminded her- of her dead family.

Kingsley, the new Minister of Magic had informed her a month ago, of the raid on her parents' home, the day after she obliviated them. Dolohov had killed her parents, brutally- and was still on the run. She wanted to scream, to take her wand, track him down and _crucio_ him, till he died from the pain. She wanted to use sectumsempra on him till he bled to death.

But she never did.

"_No. No. No. God please. No….",her words trailed off as she choked. _

"_I'm sorry, Hermione. If I had known….", began Kingsley._

"_Its not your fault.", she choked. "I obliviated them. They knew nothing about me. They were simply Wendell and Monica. They were supposed to go to Australia….", she broke down again._

_Her sobs were the only sound in the room, as Kingsley looked on sadly._

_Finally. "Take me to them.",she said, in a soft child like voice._

_She knew nothing beyond that._

_She remembered flashes, falling on the ground in front of their graves, screaming and pulling her hair. She remembered her hoarse voice "Come back. Come back." For a second, she had actually contemplated searching for the Peverell stone._

_She was unconscious for the next three hours, and when she awoke, she begged Kingsley not to tell anyone._

She was broken, completely and utterly so.

She had combed through all records of Dolohov, ruthlessly, forgetting to eat or sleep. She told everyone, she was on a vacation with her family.

She knew this would not have been, what her parents wanted from her. They would have wanted her to finish school, get a degree, get a job and be successful and be happy. They would not have wanted her to waste away in her desire for revenge.

She had not told anyone about their deaths. She knew Harry would be beside himself and blame himself for their deaths- she would not let him do that. For just one year in his life, he deserved to be happy and free of guilt- to be full of hope and anticipation for the future, and she'd be damned if he didn't get it.

She looked down at the Head Girl badge on the palm of her hand- and smiled. She was one step closer to making her parents proud of her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for your advice, '****fandomshit'. I will try to incorporate changes within the month, when I get more time. I will include Harry's suspicions. Its my fanfiction, and I want to make it gooood!**

Draco Malfoy stood in the room, the same room where Bellatrix had tortured Hermione Granger, ruthlessly. He remembered her screams, her tears, and her voice as she pleaded for mercy, for help – help that he, Draco could not provide. Despite, his blood prejudice, Draco had always respected the bright muggle-born witch. Her screams, and the true display of Bellatrix's cruelty showed him that he was indeed on the wrong side – something he had suspected, the moment he had been given his task in the sixth year. He had truly hated his cowardice and his inability to be his own man- so the first chance he got, he proved himself. He saved Fred Weasley's life by pushing him out of the way- before the latter was _Avada_'d. He had killed Bellatrix, before she tried to kill Potter. He took a stand for what he believed – and he had yet to regret his decision.

His musings were interrupted, as he was looking down at his Head Boy badge (something he actually felt _close to worthy of). _His mother came inside the room; her usually neat blonde hair was frazzled, and was coming out of her neat bun. "Draco, dear. This year will be difficult for you, because of your Veela thing…."

"Yes, mother. I'm aware.", said the blonde man.

"Promise me, something, Draco.", she said, her brows furrowed, as she thought of negative possibilities.

"Anything."

"Promise me that you are over the blood prejudice. I am son, now that I see what it cost me. But are you… because if you aren't, it might cost you your happiness. What if she is of lesser blood- will you be stubborn and refuse to.."

"No, I won't mother. I understand everything now- I am no longer that blind. I will employ _all means necessary_ to get my mate…". His grey eyes were glowing silver at the thought of finally having his mate.

_Mine._

_aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa_

Hermione hugged Harry and Ron, tightly, her throat strangely dry at the thought of going to Hogwarts, without her boys. The tears fell, as she got onto the train, watching them waving at her, as the train finally took up speed. She sighed heavily as she headed to the Heads' compartment.

This would be a long year.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Draco smelt it, his favourite scent- all his favourites combined into a beautiful aroma. Vanilla, strawberries, and almonds- his nostrils flared as he moaned. He closed his eyes in pleasure, as if to truly savour the scent.

That heavenly scent - the scent of his mate…. At that thought, he opened his eyes, remarkably alert. His eyes glowed bright silver.

He looked towards the open door of the compartment- from where the scent seemed to permeate. He moaned, as he smelt _her_ coming closer. His eyes widened, as he conjured images of a faceless woman, on a couch beside him, in his arms, in his bed…..

Her smell wafted into the compartment.

He smelt her coming closer. He felt the electricity in the air.

He heard approaching footsteps, and then his eyes closed in wonder as her scent permeated the compartment, spreading _everywhere_.

Then, he heard a heavenly voice.

"Ummmm, Malfoy?"

He opened his eyes, and as looked at her in wonder, all he could think was…

_So beautiful!_

She was indeed. Her waist-length brunette hair was of various different shades of brown- mahogany, chestnut, chocolate,…. and wait, was that, red?

Her lips, so beautiful! He imagined them to be soft, moulding to his own…..

He looked into her eyes, and he was officially lost. All he could see were those wide, incredible chocolate eyes, and observe them widening.

He felt a …. warmth in his chest, feeling it grow hotter and hotter- till it felt almost like a fire. The fire, though, had a comfortable heat, as it encompassed his body, spread from the tips of his hair, to his toes…

_Mine. All mine._

For the first time, Draco felt _alive_.

Then, he _saw her _and his heart, seemed to break.

His mate was none other than Hermione Granger.

The girl, he had rebuked for her bushy hair.

For her beaver-teeth.

For her bookishness.

For her blood.

For her.

_No!_

He remembered her torture, and he groaned as he thought, of how he had not helped her, not saved her from that bitch of an aunt he had, from that horrid scar on her arm.

He remembered her screams, which now seemed to resonate in his ears; he remembered her blood on his carpet-, which, contradictory to all his beliefs, was as red as his own. He remembered the scar '_Mudblood_ ', which now seemed to stare back at him.

_How could she accept him?_

_Why would she accept him?_

His heart broke as he recounted every memory he had of her- all of which was unpleasant.

Then he remembered the kiss in the Room of Requirement- _her kissing Weasel_.

His eyes glowed silver again.

_Mine, all mine! _

He wanted to rip the head off Ronald Weasley, severe his every single bone from body and _crucio_ him- all at the same time.

For daring to touch what was rightfully _his._

So what, if he had hurt her in the past, so what, that he did not deserve her love?

He was a changed man.

He would show her that and win her heart.

He would claim her.

He was not going to let her go….. he was a Slytherin, and a very handsome Malfoy to top it all.

He would have her, in the end.

Hermione entered the Head compartment and saw a most unexpected sight. Draco Malfoy, sitting near the window, sniffing the air like a dog, an expression of… pleasure(?) on his face.

"Ummmm, Malfoy?"

She watched as his eyes opened in wonder, glowing a bright silver.

_They were not that colour before._

_Wait, Hermione! Don't; stop noticing Malfoy's eyes !_

She ignored the warmth that bloomed in her chest, the way her heartbeat stuttered as Malfoy looked at her with an expression of absolute wonder.

He did not answer her.

_So what, if he joined Harry in the end? Probably did it to save his own skin. Still thinks he is above all 'filth' and 'mudbloods'! Bigoted bouncing white ferret, inbred albino,…_

She ignore his muscular lean frame, his hair casually falling before his eye, his strong jaw, his structured face, and his eyes….which seemed to draw her in.

_No Hermione! No!_

She saw a myriad of emotion on his face, joy, hope, anger, guilt, and other strange expressions on his usual poker face, followed by his trademark smirk.

Even then, he did not look directly, at her, seemingly staring off into space.

She could not ignore the warmth she felt, or her shiver, as she looked into his eyes- once again, there was a strange expression on his face. She could not ignore the electricity in the air.

_No Hermione! No! Its Malfoy!_

She looked at his silver eyes.

_Have I read about them somewhere? _

She determinedly ignored Malfoy, as she took out a book and began reading.

She ignored his heated stares.

The silver eyes were never far from her mind, though.

_I'm sure, I've read about them. But where?_

Time for a library visit.

**I want to thank you for your helpful reviews. A warning though- I can't do lemons. I hope you like it otherwise. If you want it though, you can send your own versions, and I will incorporate the best one into the story- at a later date, with acknowledgements. Till then, please keep reviewing! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione had got her wish from her fifth year- she could see the thestrals. In fact, most of the students could. Ginny Weasley accompanied her friend to the carriage, with a silent Luna Lovegood in tow, (who was absentmindedly waving her hands in the air, trying to chase Wrackspurts.).

"Hermione, Hermione, Hermione, Her..", began Ginny

"What?", said Hermione.

"I heard, Malfoy is the new head boy.", said Ginny, observing Hermione closely.

The latter had been silent for the past one hour.

She was worried about her friend.

"I know.", said Hermione. Her eyes were downcast. The red head's words reminded her of the way Malfoy had been looking at her.

She too, was worried about herself, worried about Malfoy's sudden change in eye colour, his behaviour around her, and worst of all, her _feelings_, while around him.

She promised herself that she would not think, she would not succumb to _it_, _whatever it was_. He had attempted conversation with her, but she ignored him. She convinced herself- that he had joined Harry to save his own skin, and that he was trying to get in her good books for an ulterior motive.

After all, since when did _Draco Malfoy_ want to sincerely converse with _her_?

_He must be remembering a Mudblood, the worst kind of filth, bleeding on his carpet_, she thought viciously.

She had a good head on her shoulders, something she prided herself on. She would resist whatever stupid and unwanted feelings, he had filled her head with.

She had to.

She would not think of him. It would fade soon enough. This was just a phase.

So, she ignored the heated stares coming from a very angry blonde.

8888888888888888888888888888888888

Draco stared at his mate.

He was furious. She ignored his every attempt at civility.

He had begun small. It went like this :

_After staring at her for the past five minutes, he finally came back to his senses. His whole life, his survival depended on her, and yet, he was staring at her, like a, ( god forbid!) 'tool'?_

_He decided that he would talk to her, set the foundations for their future relationship, so to speak._

"_So, Granger?", he said. She did not answer, but her shoulders stiffened, so he knew she heard him._

_Was she deliberately ignoring him?_

"_Nice weather, isn't it?", he said._

_He got no reply, other than the sound of a turning page._

_A few moments later, he again tried._

" _What's that you're reading?"_

_A pause._

_Again, no reply._

"_Potter and Weasley are not coming this year?"_

_Silence._

"_Can you hear me, Granger?"_

"_Anything from the trolley, dears?", said the round faced trolley woman._

"_No, thanks.", said Granger._

_The woman left._

_Granger went back to her book._

"_You're deliberately ignoring me, Granger?"_

_A sniff, and then silence._

_They could hear, the students talking and laughing outside._

_An hour later, Granger left._

_She didn't return._

He was angry with her, for refusing to talk to him.

Though he was mostly angry with himself.

He remembered how he ridiculed her for raising her hand in class, that teeth enlargement hex. His frequent insult.

_Mudblood_

How foolish he had been. He had hated the one person in the world, who was perfect for him, who was made for him.

He would not repeat his mistake, though.

He would have her, even if he didn't deserve her. He was a Slytherin, after all.

He would talk to the teachers about changing his classes, since they already knew what he was, thanks to his mother.

He would ask to be paired with her in classes, where they would have to complete their assignments together. He would show her his intelligence, discuss topics she was interested in. Tell her about himself, learn to know her, be friendly with her friends.

_Gain her trust, get her._

He knew his Slytherin friends might not accept her. He didn't give a damn about Parkinson or Goyle. Zabini would be the only Slytherin on his side, and he would make do with that.

He was snapped out of his reverie when he heard a voice.

"Hermione is looking hot, isn't she ?"

Draco's eyes flashed as he saw the boy who had spoken.

Anthony Goldstein.

"Yeah, she saved my life from Bellatrix.", said Dean Thomas.

They shuddered.

"She looked so hot, when she cursed her like this, and then", Goldstein made an exaggerated hand movement without a wand.

"I think, I'm going to ask her out.", said Thomas.

"I would have too, if I didn't have Susan.", said Seamus Finnegan

"Well, I'm single,", said Thomas," and if she's ready to mingle…"

They sniggered.

Draco's vision became red.

How dare they, talk about _his _Hermione like that. She was _his, _they could not have her.

She was beautiful, smart, intelligent, stubborn, self-righteous….and _she was his._

_They could not have her, he would not allow it._

He growled as he realized, that as of yet, he could have no claim on her, _if she ignored his very existence_.

His eyes turned silver, and his fingers grew into talons, in his pant pockets.

He controlled himself.

They could try, but they would not have _her_. He would go to any length to make her _his_.

She would be his, _the future Mrs. Draconis Malfoy_.

He would win her heart, if it was _the last thing he ever did_.


	6. sorry

Sorry for the lack of updates. I do not have a writers' block, in case you are wondering. I'm going to college and therefore I'm a little busy. Hopefully, I can update a small chapter next week. I'm sorry for this, and thank you for your cooperation….. :D


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